The jungle was dense, hot, and humid. The air felt like a wet blanket draped over David and Michael's skin. The calls of unseen birds and animals created an arrhythmic contrast to the consistent tempo of their machete chops. Sweat dripped down their faces and into their eyes but could not slow their pace. The two were determined to find the end of this adventure.
They had heard talk about an ancient stone temple in the jungle. It was rumored to be built by the people that lived in the jungle, but no one had been able to get past the dangers that lurked alongside it. David and Michael were the most recent adventurers to take on the search.
"The jungle is too dense," David said, breathless. "Let's take a break here."
"You're already quitting?" Michael teased, although he looked just as much out of breath. "Yeah, let's get some water," he agreed while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
As the boys hacked through the thick foliage, the distant sound of a lawnmower drifted through the trees, reminding them of the world they had temporarily left behind. Meanwhile, Julia sat on the back porch, watching the boys swing sticks and play in the woods behind their house. David ran up to her with an excited smile on his face.
"Mom, can we get some glasses of water?" he asked, panting in the afternoon heat.
"Of course, just leave the glasses with me before you go back into the woods."
The last few weeks had been rough on both of them. David had spent countless nights tossing and turning, haunted by nightmares. Julia noticed the way he clung to her more tightly each morning. Julia felt relieved that David was finally able to play with Michael again. She was happy that he had someone else to share his imagination with. David and Michael finished gulping down the water and left the glasses on the small hand table next to her before running back out into the woods. Julia put on a pair of sunglasses before going back to read her book.
As the adventurers were breaking down camp, Michael heard something rustling in the plants nearby. He turned just in time to see a large snake curl up, preparing to pounce. Michael's breath caught in his throat as he heard a rustling in the bushes. His eyes widened in horror as a large snake slithered into view, its eyes locked onto him. Without thinking, he dove to the ground just as the snake lunged, its fangs narrowly missing his leg.
"It's time to go!" Michael shouted in alarm.
The boys trampled through the jungle, only caring about the most immediate danger of the snake. As they slowed down, David realized he had left the map back at the camp in his haste. A small "uh-oh" slipped out and Michael turned to face him.
"What's wrong? Did it bite you?" Michael said as he started looking over David's arms and legs for any fang marks.
"No." David started giggling. "Stop, that tickles. We are lost. I left the map behind."
"Then we continue forward on our own path." Michael announced, striking a heroic pose.
As the boys continued, they passed all sorts of brightly colored plants. They soon came to a rock face. With no way to figure out where to go, they started traveling along it. The trees opened up nearby and what the two adventurers saw took their breath away. A large ziggurat was built into the face of the rock side. Intricate carvings decorated each layer while a staircase led up to an entrance on the top. The boys quickly climbed it, racing each other to see what was inside.
Right as they reached the top, David heard a voice in the distance, "Time to go, boys." It was Julia.
"We'd better get back," David said with a bit of concern. He had not realized how far away they had run.
"We can look inside real quick," Michael pushed on, not waiting for a response.
"David! Where are you?" Julia's voice was louder this time.
David's heart raced as he glanced between the enticing darkness of the cave and the direction of Julia's voice. The promise of adventure tugged at him, but the fear of worrying his mom pulled him back. He bit his lip, feeling the weight of his decision.
"David!" This time Julia's voice started to get anxious. That was the last piece of encouragement David needed.
"We can come back later. It can be our secret hideout." David said as he started running back home.
Michael quickly joined him and the two boys continued laughing on their way back. David picked up the stick that Michael threw before and continued chasing him with it.
"There you are!" Julia's voice was colored with delight as she saw the boys laughing while running back into the yard. "Come on, let's go inside and cool off. I have some snacks for you."
David and Michael looked at each other with big grins on their faces as all three of them went inside.